


Candy Corn Leaves

by alime



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Gernderbent!Suga, Halloween, M/M, blind date au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-29 01:21:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5111153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alime/pseuds/alime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kageyama is set up on a blind date</p>
            </blockquote>





	Candy Corn Leaves

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I've written in over a year? Scary. I hope you like it Enjoy!!!

Kageyama looks at himself in the mirror and fidgets.  Again, unsuccessfully, he tries to straighten his hair but it refuses to settle so he sighs and turns away, clenching his fists in determination (and because another wave of jittery, anxious, nausea-inducing nerves just hit him).  But this is probably as ready as he’ll ever be, so he takes a deep breath and heads out the door. 

Suga and Kageyama have been friends for nearly all his life.  She moved into the house across the street in second grade.  Their parents took no time getting acquainted with one another, and they ended up sharing a babysitter for all their parent’s group dates and specially scheduled “kid-free” nights.  Kageyama was very wary of her at first.  She insisted on including him in everything she did, dragging him out of the house to go to the pool and the park and the rec center, making him join her clubs (which he quit usually two weeks later), inviting herself over for dinner and study sessions.  She became his friend, something he had never had before.  The feeling was similar to being slowly pulled underwater, and then finding out he could breathe under the surface.  They’ve since become very close.  Kageyama trusts her words and her judgment maybe even more than his parent’s.  And that is why he is on this train.  Because he trusts her. 

I trust her, he says to himself for the umpteenth time since waking this morning.  I trust her – its become sort of like a mantra that calms him down.  He stares out the window, enjoying the way things are rushing by, as if he’s moving through life in fast-forward.  If he stays on the train he could fast-forward through the whole night.  Except he could never do that.  Suga would be furious, and he would feel guilty about standing up whoever is out there waiting for him.  Because someone is.  Might be right now, in fact – and the thought makes his heart clench.

He huffs and continues glaring at the gray blur outside.  A blind date.  Kageyama knows Suga has set people up before.  He also knows she’s always been successful; despite what he pretends to not acknowledge to her face because she just brags so MUCH.  But he never thought the day would come when she would say she found someone for him.  That was a strange day overall, and then she comes over after school grinning madly and giggling intermittently but not saying a word until finally Kageyama asked her what was going on.  And then the words came tumbling out of her so filled with happiness and rushing one after another so fast he couldn’t keep up and had to ask three times to repeat herself before he understood what she wanted him to do, what she was saying. 

That there was a boy.

And his name was Hinata.

And he would be waiting for him.

Tonight.

“Got it?” Suga had breathed in the end, imploring him with sparkling bright blue eyes.  Kageyama had nodded and boy did she smile.  Someone really incredible must have caught her eye to make her act like that, to make her think of him of all people. 

The rush outside is slowing down.  The train is stopping.  The doors slide open and there’s a stir in the people as they rustle past each other in and out of the doors.  Kageyama’s among them, his heart pounding against his chest with every step he takes.  Suga said Hinata would be waiting for him but what if he wasn’t?  What if he got scared like Kageyama so often did?  He almost laughs to himself as he rounds corners and strides down streets, suddenly anxious to see this person. 

To see Hinata.

The town square is up ahead.  Kageyama can see the large arched gates, twirling black iron rods standing high and wide and open.  Beyond them in the center of the large stone plaza is Iris’s Fountain.  He slows down a bit and wipes his hands on his jeans and focuses on breathing deep into the bottom of his lungs.  His heart won’t calm itself, banging so hard and fast and loud against his ribs it’s a wonder he’s not attracting attention.  Kageyama glances at his watch as he approaches the gates.  It’s 6:54.  He can hear the splash and gush of water – it kind of matches the rush in his ears as he walks forward and the fountain comes into view.

There are quite a few people gathered around the structure and it takes Kageyama a moment to find him, but he does, of course.  He’s sitting on the rim of the stone basin, palms on either side of him so his shoulders are hunched and his head’s leaned slightly back, staring at the patchwork-ceiling of lights that are strung above the plaza.  His legs are straight out in front of him, heels on the ground with the toes of his shoes pointed up bouncing together and away and together and away.  He looks like he’s waiting for a long-time friend. 

Kageyama take a few last breaths and steps up to him.  He turns his head slowly, eyes large and open and so bright.

“Are you Kageyama?” he asks.

Kageyama opens his mouth but his tongue is dry and thick, so he just nods.

The boy grins.  “I’m Hinata!  It’s kind of weird meeting people like this, isn’t it?”  He stands, and Kageyama nods again.  “This is my first time going on a blind date.  What about you?”

“Yeah,” Kageyama says.  “My first time, too.” 

Hinata’s staring at him with clear, honest, curious eyes.  Kageyama looks away.

“Do you like Halloween?” he asks suddenly.

“Yeah,” Kageyama replies.

“There’s a bakery down here that always decorates for Halloween.”

He starts walking away, and Kageyama follows.

“They go all out – change their menu, change the lights, all the staff wear costumes, and all the music is Halloween-themed.”

“Halloween-themed music?” Kageyama says, raising his eyebrows.

Hinata looks over at him.  “You know, spooky sound effects, eerie ambiance.  And every now and then there’s a horrible scream.  It’s really loud.  Always makes me jump.”

Kageyama smiles a bit.  Hinata is small, probably more than a foot shorter than himself and a good thirty pounds lighter.  He walks confidently, glancing over at Kageyama every now and then as he talks, smiling and laughing.  It doesn’t take long to see what drew Suga to him.

“It should be around here somewhere,” Hinata says mildly, glancing around himself.  “I’m terrible with directions.”

“Even to places you’ve been to before?” Kageyama asks.

Hinata smirks a little and looks at him from under his long eyelashes.  “Specially to places I’ve been to before.”

Kageyama pauses.  Actually, it’s more like the world’s stopped, frozen where Hinata’s large brown eyes are peering up at him through dark lashes, a playful, almost taunting sort of smile stretching his pink lips.

Kageyama breathes. 

The world still isn’t moving, yet.

And then he curses. 

Hinata’s still looking at him like like that.

Because no, Suga.  Oh no, no, no, no, no.  Who is he?  What have you gotten me into?

Hinata blinks and then laughs something high and strong and beautiful, and Kageyama smiles automatically at the sound of it.  They’re walking again.  He’s following Hinata without really thinking about it, hands in his pockets, listening as the smaller boy talks, stealing glances at the orange fluffy mess that is his hair whenever he can.    

“So how do you know Suga?” Hinata asks.

“I’ve known her since we were kids,” Kageyama says.  “She moved in across the street when I was seven.”

“That’s really cool.  I’ve never had a lifetime-best friend like that.  I had to keep moving around for my dad’s job, and it gets hard to keep up with people.”

Kageyama glances at him.  “Oh,” he says.  “I’m sorry.”

Hinata looks at him and smiles.  “It’s fine.  I’m not moving around anymore.”

Kageyama opens his mouth but nothing comes out, and Hinata’s still looking at him but smiling more broadly now.  Kageyama’s mouth snaps shut and he turns away, face hot. 

“Hey, look I think this is it,” he hears loudly from a distance.

Curiosity forces Kageyama to look toward him, even though his face is still warm.  He spots bright orange hair on the sidewalk across the street.  Hinata’s waving at him.  Face getting warmer, Kageyama stares determinedly at the ground as he walks over to him.

“Brookshire Bakery,” Hinata says, casting his arms out wide.

He was right when he said they went all-out.  It’s a house.  A skinny two-story wood building with cobwebs and cracks and broken windows and blood smears all over it.  There are gravestones and skulls in the yard, limbs nailed to trees and pumpkins with horrible faces glowing orange from nearly every angle you can imagine.  Every now and then there’s a rapid flash of bright white light that makes Kageyama blink.

Hinata’s suddenly next to him, round eyes pointed up. 

“Want to go in?” he asks.

“Yeah,” Kageyama says.  “Of course.”  Even though he’s trying to suppress shivers as they begin to walk.

Hinata opens the door, smiling calmly, normally.  Kageyama walks in, Hinata following close behind. 

The door opens to one long room.  At the very back is the register counter, and the other two facing walls hold large glass refrigerators stuffed with cupcakes and pies and cookies and cakes.  There are small round tables placed randomly in the hallway-like space before the counter, each one covered in a starry black table cloth that holds leveled displays and arrangements of candy and fruit and cake.  There’s no way to tell how the bakery looked before the Halloween decorations.  Every surface imaginable has been covered.  The ceiling is hidden under what looks like black tights that are tangled and draped and woven around each other so overhead is nothing but a mushy black mess of cloth.  All the lights have been switched out so everything glows in layers of yellow and orange and blue and red.  There are skulls and skeletons and ghosts and spiders and bats and pumpkins and candles glowing different colors placed all around.  Every dessert that could be decorated for Halloween is and even those that can’t have small toothpick-ghosts and black cats stuck in them.

“This is amazing,” Kageyama says, stepping forward in awe. 

He stares around some more, taking it all in, then looks very quickly to his right because Hinata has been quiet for a long time.  He’s still there, and he’s still looking at Kageyama, still smiling, although now in a very pleased way.  Kageyama straightens a bit and looks forward again, moving to one of the glass refrigerators on the wall.  Hinata takes his hand and pulls him in the other direction almost immediately. 

“No, no,” he’s saying.  “You want this case.  This one has cupcakes and petifores.”  They’re standing in front of the glass.  It’s lit red from the inside.  “That one is all sheet cakes.”

Kageyama can’t see through the glass.  He’s staring hard at the reflection, at the crimson outline of their entwined hands.  Hinata had done it so easily.  Slipped his fingers through his own like water and then fitted them into place.  And Kageyama had let him.

Kageyama swallows but that doesn’t alleviate the tightness suddenly gripping his chest.

“What do you want?” Hianta asks, bending down to look at rows of small white cakes.  He doesn’t let go of Kageyama’s hand.  “I’m getting a petifore.  Maybe two.”  He swivels around.  “And maybe some candy . . .”

His hand is warm.  His fingers are slim and curled around the back of Kageyama’s hand so lightly.  He feels Hinata turn toward him.

“What do you want?”

“Um, I–”  His body’s getting hot.  Kageyama really doesn’t want his hand to get all sweaty.  “I.”

“How about you pick two cupcakes, and I pick two petifores,” Hinata says, his voice cool and clear.

“Oh, yeah,” Kageyama says. 

Hinata smiles and let’s go of Kageyama’s hand, nudging him away to an orange lit glass.  Kageyama kind of stumble over, but he’s glad for something to do, something to think about.  He glances over the cupcakes.  There’s a whole wall of them, each shelf a different flavor all with different designs and decorations.  And then he starts to get nervous.  What flavor is Hinata going to like?  Something orange.  No, he’s only thinking of that because of his hair.  His hair . . .  Kageyama blinks and tries to focus on the cupcakes.  Eventually, he decides to pick two flavors that he enjoys and just hope Hinata likes one.  Kageyama moves back to the red-lit glass, carrying the small dark plates with cupcakes, nearly spilling them at the jolt that goes through him when he finds Hinata’s not there.

“Hinata?” he hisses, looking around. 

There are a lot more people in here than Kageyama originally thought.  He cranes his neck but doesn’t see him.  Sighing, Kageyama wanders down the hall, some of the decorations and treats distracting him for awhile.  The farther down he goes, the more elaborate the cakes in the become, and he has a hard time focusing on scanning the crowd instead of the pumpkins and monsters and giant cats displayed behind the glass.  And then, finally, Kageyama sees him standing in line in front of the register.

“Hinata,” he says a bit loudly as he’s walking over, and the small boy turns to him.

“You found me!” he says.

“Well, it wasn’t that hard.”  Kageyama glances at his hair, fluffed out at every angle like icing itself.

“Good.  Just let me pay for all these then–”

“What?  No,” Kageyama says suddenly.  “I can pay for these.  These are my flavors.”  And without waiting to hear a response, he turns on the spot and marches to the back of the line, three people away.

Hinata is staring back at him, laughing, and Kageyama looks away just as he thinks he sees Hinata actually roll his eyes at him.  Kageyama feels his face flame, glad to be at the back of the line.  He stares down at the cupcakes in his hand, and, unbelievably, his face gets hotter.  One is a dark fudge cupcake with thick chocolate frosting topped with green sprinkles and small white fondant gravestones.  The other is a strawberry cupcake with a swirled strawberry buttercream frosting with half of a strawberry placed on top.  The strawberry has a monster face made of piping chocolate.  It isn’t as festive as some of the cupcakes, but strawberry is Kageyama’s favorite flavor.  The line doesn’t take too long.  Hinata waits in the corner by a grotesque looking plant which Kageyama can’t decide is fake or not.

“All the seating is upstairs,” Hinata says when Kageyama joins him. 

He leads them back down the hall toward the front door – the only thing that has been left without a decoration – and then they walk straight out it.  Kageyama turns around, confused, as the door swings shut behind them.

“The staircase is outside,” Hinata says.

“You couldn’t have mentioned that before?” Kageyama say slightly bitterly because Hinata keeps catching him off guard.

“Is it really that important?” Hinata asks, glancing back with sparkling eyes.

Kageyama huffs.  “No.”

The small boy grins and walks to the right side of the house where a wire staircase spirals to the second floor.

“This is so dangerous,” Kageyama says, twisting his way up through the skinny wire bars.  He has to transfer both his cupcakes to one hand so he can hold the railing.  “What do they do when it rains?”

“It’s covered,” Hinata pipes in.

Kageyama looks up.  It is covered, technically, but he doubts the gaping holes and stretches of missing canvas would keep anyone dry. 

They get to the top and Hianta opens the door.  The second floor is huge, twice as large as the first floor. 

“Why is it so big?” Kageyama asks.

“Half of downstairs is the kitchen, but nobody really ever sees the kitchen, do they?” Hianta replies easily.

The second floor is decorated in much the same way the first floor is except now the starry, velvet-covered tables have small chairs.  There are big and small tables, and even booths along the walls. 

Hinata takes Kageyama’s hand and pulls him through the maze of murmuring people.  He must know where he’s going because he’s moving fast and has a tight grip on Kageyama’s hand – something that make his stomach squirm.  They end up in a corner across the room under a tall, tall window.

“I can’t believe this table was open,” Hinata says, sitting down excitedly.  “This table is never open.”

Kageyama can see why.  The windowsill is even with the edge of the table and then stretches upward at least a yard and a half.  The street outside is bright and lively and opens up like a movie in the darkness of the bakery. 

“So, what flavors do you have?” Hinata asks, peering at Kageyama’s cupcakes.

“Oh, um.  Well, just chocolate and strawberry,” he says.

“Great!” Hinata says.  “I got red velvet and pumpkin.  I’ve never had this pumpkin one before, but my friend said it was really good, so I thought we could try it.”

He’s looing at Kageyama excitedly.  “I thought we could trade.  You know, one cupcake for one petifore, but now, looking at all this . . . I really want to eat them all.”

“We can cut everything in half,” Kageyama suggests.

“You don’t mind?”

“No, of course not,” he says.

Hinata beams.  “Alright, let me go grab some forks and stuff.  Do you want water?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Okay.”  And he stands and starts walking away.

“Do you need help carrying it?” Kageyama asks.

“No, I’ll be fine!” Hinata says, bouncing away.

Kageyama smiles and looks out the window.  The shops across the street are still open, people milling around sort of directionlessly, wandering through store doors or standing still to talk along the sidewalk.  There are a lot of couples.  Some holding hands, some just walking close together, all of them glancing at the other and smiling and talking and laughing.  He wonders if Hinata and him looked like that when they were walking. 

“Here you go,” Kageyama hears beside himself.  Hinata’s sat down.  Two water and napkins and knives and forks are on the table.  “You cut yours and I’ll cut mine.”

“Okay,” he says. 

Kageyama learns it’s not really easy to cut a cupcake in half.  He moves them around so each plate has one half, gives Hinata’s plate the strawberry and the tombstones, and then slides it over to him.

“You didn’t have to give me all the decorations,” Hinata says. 

Kageyama doesn’t look at him, but there’s a smile in Hinata’s voice and then suddenly long fingers are placing a little white tombstone into his chocolate frosting again.

“Thanks,” he says, still not looking at him.  Kageyama reaches for the petifores. 

“So, you know the stairs we took to get up here?” Hinata says, biting into the chocolate cupcake.  “Oh my god, this is so good, Kageyama.”

Kageyama jolts a bit when he hears his name.  “Yeah,” he says, biting around the red velvet petifore.  It’s delicious and he finishes the rest in two more bites, the thick rich flavor coating his mouth.  “That was great.”

Hinata laughs.  “Yeah, dessert sampling is fun.  I go a lot with my friend Kenma.  He showed me this place.  Anyway, so the stairs.”

“Oh yeah.”  Kageyama nods and takes big gulps of his water before deciding which cupcake to try.

“We’re actually not supposed to use them.”

Kageyama looks up at Hinata, fork stopped over the strawberry cupcake.  “What?  Why?”

“Because they’re so dangerous.  Like you said.”  He’s grinning.

“Then, why–”

Hinata smiles around another bite of cake.  “I actually know the owners.  There’s a nicer staircase on the other side of the house.  And an elevator.  I like using the wire one because it’s a spiral, and only I’m allowed to use it.”

“Only you are allowed to use it?” Kageyama asks, unable to hide the skepticism in his voice.  He eats his strawberry cake. 

“Yeah, well, the owners really like me,” Hinata says, shrugging.  “I love sweets, so I come here a lot.  Kenma and I would always stop by after school and do homework and stuff.”

“Do they have free wifi?” Kageyama asks between bites of ridiculously moist, sugary cake.

Hinata nods.  “They change the password a lot, though.  I have to ask them all the time what the new one is.  Kind of annoying, but they change it for the season.  I think right now it’s SpookStore15 or something.”

Kageyama snorts.  “What have the other’s been?”

“Hmmm,” Hinata hums, looking out the window.  “Let’s see.  There’s been TurkeyTiaras, ReindeerRampage, SummertimeSweetness.  Oh!  They let me choose one for last fall.”

Kageyama looks at him expectantly.

“CandycornLeaves,” he says.

“Candy corn leaves?”

Hinata nods fast.  “Because the leaves change colors, like candy corn.”

Kageyama grins and looks down at his plate.  Only the pumpkin petifore remains.

“Hey!” Hinata says.  “We both left the pumpkin for last.”

“Oh yeah,” he says, glancing across the table.

“Let’s eat it at the same time.”

“Okay,” Kageyama says, trying to hide his smile, something that becomes more and more difficult as they each cut into the petifore while watching the other so their timing is right.

It’s surprisingly sweet, the pumpkin flavor accented with a salty icing and rich, fluffy inner cake.

“Mmmmmm,” Hinata moans, eyes closing as he chews.  “This is soo good.  Kenma was right.”

Kageyama nods, shoveling the last bit into his mouth before leaning back and sighing.  Hinata’s looking out the window, and Kageyama can see the streetlights reflected in his large brown eyes.  He stares at him, curiously inspecting the features of Hinata’s face – a soft jawline, a sharp, slightly upturned nose, high cheekbones that make his eyes big and round, small ears mostly hidden by thick, bushy orange hair.  He looks over suddenly, sees Kageyama staring, so Kageyama glances down quickly.

“You wanna walk around some?” he says.  “I’ve got a sugar high.  Don’t really feel like sitting anymore.”

Kageyama nods, and they stand up to leave.  Hinata leads the way out.  They use the same rickety spiral staircase, Hinata hopping down two steps at a time and Kageyama clinging to the rail.  It’s a bit chillier now outside.  Kageyama pulls his jacket closer around himself and follows beside Hinata as he sets off down the street.  They’re quiet as they walk, but it’s not uncomfortable.  Kageyama glances over and sees Hinata’s hand swinging close to his own.  He wishes he had enough courage to take it, but even imagining it has his palm in a sweaty twitchy mess.  Hinata sometimes stops in front of store windows and they make fun of mannequins or marvel at overpriced clothing and jewelry.  There’s a brightness in Hinata’s voice that persists in everything he says and fills Kageyama’s chest with a warm gooey feeling he’s not used to.  It’s not an unpleasant feeling.  Their route is very roundabout, but Kageyama can tell they’re headed toward the main plaza.  Hinata slows before reaching the road that would bring the plaza into view, stopping under a tall streetlamp.  He looks up and heat rushes to Kageyama’s face.      

“Kageyama,” Hinata says, large eyes boring into him.  Kageyama’s finding it very hard to look at him.  “Thanks for coming today.  I was really nervous waiting at that fountain.”

His face gets hotter.  “Y-yeah, of course.”  Kageyama turns away and stares hard down the street.  “I was nervous, too.”

“Are you still nervous?” Hinata asks sort of quietly.

Kageyama looks over, a bit taken aback, a retort about how he’s not nervous clambering up his throat.  It never makes it out because Hinata is suddenly closer to him, head pointed up, eyes steady on his own, cheeks flushed from the cold, lips pink and slightly pouty.

“Yes,” Kageyama breathes.

He feels Hinata’s hand on his, warm and soft and gentle.  His stomach twists.

“I’m still nervous, too,” Hianta says, and his face is still so close.  Close enough that if Kageyama just drops his head a few inches . . .

Hinata squeezes Kageyama’s hand, smiles, and steps away.  They start walking again, hand-in-hand this time, the silence a bit different – a bit heavier and a bit more strained.  It’s a nice tension, though.  A strain that pulls them together and promises something more. 

Kageyama closes his eyes for a second and tries to breathe deep into his lungs, but his heart won’t stop pounding and the cool air does nothing to alleviate the heat building in his chest.  Kageyama glances at Hinata and feels everything tighten inside him, his hand clutching the small boy’s reflexively.  Hinata turns to him, surprised, and then smiles that wonderfully easy smile of his.  Kageyama doesn’t want to reach the plaza, he realizes.  He wants to be with Hinata longer.  But he satisfies himself with this night, with this tension that’s formed between them, with his crazy heart and Hinata’s crazy hair and warm hand wrapped around his own.  It’s enough right now.  It’s enough until the next time.   


End file.
